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Simba Makoni to stand against Robert
Mugabe

The Telegraph

By Byron
Dziva in Harare and Peta Thornycroft

Last Updated:
7:01pm GMT 05/02/2008

A new opposition leader emerged in
Zimbabwe today when a former ally of Robert Mugabe said that he would challenge
him for the presidency.

In a surprise announcement in Harare,
Simba Makoni, 57, a former finance minister and member of the ruling Zanu-PF
party�s politburo, said that he would stand as an independent candidate in the
elections due on March 29.

Simba Makoni will stand as an
independent

Mr Makoni�s decision marks a formal
split in the ruling party.

He blamed the president for Zimbabwe�s
�extreme hardships� and said: �I won�t be in this campaign alone. There will be
many of us, a great many of us. I am not an opposition party. I am not standing
in the name of any party.�

Mr Makoni, who studied chemistry at
Leeds University in the 1970s and took a doctorate from Leicester Polytechnic,
is not expected to win.

But his candidacy could herald a new era
in Zimbabwe politics.

Aziz Pahad, the deputy South African
foreign minister, said that the �political ground appears to be shifting�.

Mr Makoni was sacked as finance minister
in 2002 when he tried to devalue Zimbabwe�s currency - which has since become
worthless.

The decision by the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change to divide into two factions has opened the way for him to
become the standard bearer of opposition to Mr Mugabe, who turns 84 on Feb 21
and has been in power for almost 28 years.

Morgan Tsvangirai, formerly the most
prominent opposition leader, has been discredited by the MDC�s collapse and is
now widely distrusted.

One MDC faction, led by Arthur
Mutambara, has been secretly talking to Mr Makoni and may back him.

If so, he would gain votes in the two
Matabeleland provinces.

Gabriel Chaibva, Mr Mutambara�s
spokesman, said: �We welcome anything that is opposed to Mugabe�s dictatorship.
Even in his own party Mugabe has got opponents.

"We are proponents of one candidate to
fight and defeat Mugabe, that is our philosophy. What will happen we don�t yet
know.�

Zimbabwe has the world�s
fastest-shrinking economy, mainly because Mr Mugabe has destroyed commercial
agriculture by confiscating 90 per cent of white-owned farms since 2000, which
earned 40 per cent of foreign currency.

The International Monetary Fund
estimates that inflation is 150,000 per cent - the world�s highest. The
government only admits to 26,000 per cent.

Mr Makoni is one of the few Zanu-PF
leaders who did not accept a seized farm and bought his own.

Almost uniquely for someone who served
in the highest levels of Zimbabwe�s regime, he is also untainted by corruption.

He is seen as a liberal economic
reformer who could unlock support for Zimbabwe from the IMF.

Simba Makoni: Zimbabwe's roaring lion?

Simba Makoni, a senior member of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF
party, has announced he is to challenge Robert Mugabe for president.

With a PhD in chemistry, his
supporters say he has the magic formula to reverse Zimbabwe's economic collapse
and end its political stalemate.

The mild-mannered, jovial man has long been seen as a possible
compromise candidate, with backers both in Zanu-PF, as well as plenty of
admirers in the opposition.

He has variously been described as a moderniser, a technocrat
and a "young turk".

Opposition MP Priscilla Misihairabwi told the BBC News website
that Mr Makoni was very courageous to publicly challenge Mr Mugabe from within
the system.

He could be living up to his name, Simba, which means lion in
Swahili.

Ms Misihairabwi also says that Mr Makoni is a man of principles.

The then finance minister stood up to President Robert Mugabe
over economic policy in 2002 and was sacked for his trouble.

'Saboteur'

Mr Makoni's supporters note that he has a good understanding of
orthodox economics and he comes from the party which delivered independence from
Britain in 1980 and which does not want to relinquish power.

He could appeal to those voters who are desperate for some
improvement in their daily lives but do not quite trust the opposition.

I share the agony and anguish of all citizens over the extreme
hardships that we all have endured for nearly 10 years now

Simba Makoni

His soft
tone could also help heal the country's bitter divisions and end the years of
political lambast and name-calling.

But his critics dismiss him as a political lightweight within
his party and say he will struggle to compete against Mr Mugabe, who will be his
main opponent in the March elections.

He was brought in as finance minister in 2000 to restore
relations with donors and the business community but failed to change Mr
Mugabe's policies.

He was sacked 18 months later after calling for a devaluation of
the currency to try and boost exports.

Mr Mugabe said those who wanted a devaluation were "economic
saboteurs".

Mr Makoni responded by cheerfully introducing himself as
"Saboteur".

But until he announced his candidature for the elections, he
remained a member of Zanu-PF's policy-making body, the politburo and so must
share some of the blame for the country's economic woes.

Heavyweight backing

He nevertheless tried his best to distance himself from the
crisis.

"Let me confirm that I share the agony and anguish of all
citizens over the extreme hardships that we all have endured for nearly 10 years
now," he said.

SIMBA MAKONI

Zanu-PF moderniser

1980: Named deputy minister aged 30

2002: Sacked as finance minister after argument with
Mugabe

2002: Went to South Africa

Possible support of Zanu-PF heavyweight Solomon Mujuru

Trained chemist

And despite saying
he would have preferred to stand as a Zanu-PF candidate, he strongly criticised
its leaders.

"I also share the widely-held view that these hardships are a
result of failure of national leadership and that change at that level is a
pre-requisite for change at other levels of national endeavour."

But he is believed to have the backing of Zanu-PF heavyweight
Solomon Mujuru, whose wife Joyce is vice-president.

Zimbabwean political analyst John Makumbe said that if the
former army chief is indeed backing Mr Makoni, then the Zanu-PF vote would be
split in the 29 March election - boosting the chances of the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change, which is also fielding two candidates.

"This is a significant development," he said. "We are beginning
to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel."

Scandal-free

At just 57, he comes from a different generation to the
octogenarians currently running the country and its ruling party.

While the party old-guard were fighting the 1970s guerrilla war
of independence, Mr Makoni was studying chemistry in Britain.

He is very approachable and ready to laugh - unlike Mugabe

Priscilla MisihairabwiOpposition
MP

But he also found time to
represent Zanu in Europe and clearly made an impression.

When the first post-independence government was formed, he was
appointed deputy minister of agriculture at just 30.

Over the next four years he served as minister of energy and of
youth before abruptly leaving government.

"He was too hot to handle," one long-time associate told the
BBC.

"He was too clever and too young for the older members of the
party. They wanted him out of the way."

Mr Makoni went on to become Executive Secretary of the Southern
African Development Community, (SADC), a job which he says required "a fine
balance between high principles and pragmatism".

Ms Misihairabwi says that Mr Makoni is also untainted by
allegations of corruption or scandal.

"He is very approachable and ready to laugh - unlike Mugabe,"
she said.

"There is a real excitement about this but whether that will
translate into votes is another question."

MDC welcomes new Mugabe challenger

Zim Online

by
Patricia Mpofu Wednesday 06 February 2008

HARARE –
Zimbabwe’s opposition on Tuesday welcomed the emergence of a new challenger
to President Robert Mugabe, seeing it as a multiplication of forces opposed
to the veteran leader’s 27-year grip on power.

The main opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party – which ironically is itself
hopelessly divided – said former finance minister Simba Makoni’s decision to
stand against Mugabe would split and damage ZANU PF ahead of general and
presidential elections in March.

ZANU PF politburo member Makoni on
Tuesday announced he would stand against Mugabe in next month’s election, in
the biggest rebellion against the Zimbabwean leader in
decades.

Hinting at more upheavals in Mugabe’s ZANU PF, Makoni said he
was working with like-minded people from the party whose names he would
disclose at a more opportune time.

Neslon Chamisa, spokesman of the
larger faction of the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai said: “What we are seeing
is a split in ZANU PF and we have said it before that any weakening or
limping of ZANU PF is good music for all democratic forces in
Zimbabwe.

“The chickens are coming home to roost. This has to be seen as
a ZANU PF rebellion which should crystalise the momentum for democratic
change in this country.”

Zimbabwe holds local government,
parliamentary and presidential elections on March 29.

Mugabe, in
power since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, appeared to have effectively
smothered internal resistance to his continued stay in power when he got
ZANU PF to endorse him as candidate for president – that was until Makoni’s
open rebellion on Tuesday.

Gabriel Chaibva, spokesman of the Arthur
Mutambara-led MDC camp, also welcomed Makoni’s move. “We welcome any
Zimbabwean committed to fighting the dictatorship of Mugabe. Zimbabweans
strive to see our country rising again,” he said.

Both MDC officials
were non-committal when asked whether their respective parties were prepared
to accept Makoni – a widely respected diplomat and business technocrat - as
a candidate for a united opposition front.

Makoni yesterday said he was
standing as an independent candidate and did not represent the
opposition.

There was no immediate response from ZANU PF to Makoni’s
decision to break ranks with the party. - ZimOnline

Surprise, disbelief greets Makoni’s bid for
presidency

HARARE – Chemistry graduate Simba Makoni on Tuesday
announced he would stand against his former boss President Robert Mugabe in
presidential elections on March 29.

A former finance minister, Makoni
commands respect across the political divide. He had long been touted as a
possible successor to Mugabe and most people expected him to eventually bid
for high office on a ZANU PF ticket.

Reactions from some ordinary voters
and some of the key players from across Zimbabwe’s political spectrum ranged
from surprise to disbelief, while others accused Makoni of opportunism.
Their views:

Xolani Zitha, co-ordinator of Crisis in Zimbabwe civic
alliance said: “The announcement by Makoni came to many of us as a
surprise.

“What is of interest to us in the civil society is the timing
of his announcement. It actually presents to us many questions as to whether
he is genuine or his announcement is just yet another ZANU PF project ahead
of the elections.

“What it simply does is to leave more questions
than answers to us in the civil society on which course to take. It will be
interesting to see who among the opposition and the ruling party will join
up with Makoni.”

Chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly
political pressure group Lovemore Madhuku saw opportunism in Makoni’s
move.

He said: “Makoni is a joke. He belongs to the ZANU PF group, which
has been ‘inappropriately’ referred to as a reformist ZANU PF. What he has
done is opportunism. He has simply taken advantage of the forces that have
been fighting Mugabe all along and those forces are us.

“The big
question that he should be asked is, where was he at the height of Mugabe’s
brutality when opposition and political leaders where brutalised in March
last year? He was part of the suppression which condemned our progress as
democratic forces.”

Harare shop assistant Munyaradzi Mugowo had a
different take on things. “I think it’s a good thing that finally Mugabe has
found his match in someone from his own party,” Mugowo said.

“That’s
what we have been waiting for all along. I like Makoni because he has
demonstrated in the past that given a chance he can run the economy
efficiently and he is not cruel too.”

The Zimbabwe National Students
Union welcomed Makoni’s move but for slightly different reasons to Mugowo’s.
ZINASU president Clever Bere said: “We welcome Makoni’s announcement because
it shows that ZANU PF as a party is cracking.

“It shows that there is
no democracy in ZANU PF because Mugabe simply tried to cling to power
through a presidential endorsement that he pushed at the last ZANU PF
congress. This exposes Mugabe’s dictatorship and as ZINASU we are behind
what Makoni did because it nurtures democracy.”

Lazarus Chibwe, who works
for a Harare furniture manufacturer, thought Makoni had done the right thing
but just could not see how he would succeed where others have
failed.

The furniture maker said: “So does this mean they will allow
Makoni to hold campaign rallies? Makoni has set himself an impossible
mission and honestly, I do not see him taking over as the new president,
come March 29.

For Harare private economic consultant John Robertson, the
former finance minister’s move came as “quite a surprise considering that he
has been denying it. It is a good thing though.

“Makoni can be
trusted to do good things with the economy and its good that he cannot be
pressured to be following disastrous policies, as is the case at the moment.
What we needed are many political policy changes and they can only come from
people like Makoni and they will be done quickly.” - ZimOnline

Is Simba Makoni the man who can take on
Mugabe?

The TimesFebruary 6, 2008

Jan Raath in HarareA wealthy businessman put himself forward
for one of the most dangerous jobs in Africa yesterday, seeking to depose
Robert Mugabe as President of Zimbabwe.

Simba Makoni, a former
Finance Minister sacked as an “economic saboteur” for suggesting that
Zimbabwe should devalue its currency, announced that he would run against Mr
Mugabe in presidential elections due next month.

The move was hailed as
the boldest internal challenge for 20 years to the man who has ruled
Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.

At a stroke a campaign
expected to rubber-stamp another five-year term for Zimbabwe's de facto
President-for-life was thrown open. A breakaway faction of the main
opposition Movement for Democratic Change threw its weight behind Mr
Makoni's challenge. He will stand as an independent candidate because party
rules mean that he faces automatic expulsion from the ruling Zanu (PF)
party. Mr Makoni, who is untainted by the corruption and brutality
associated with the party, told reporters that he had won the backing of
several prominent officials. Their names would be revealed when he unveiled
his manifesto in the coming week.

“I know I will not be in this
campaign alone. There will be many of us, a great many of us in this
campaign,” he said. He shared “the agony and anguish of all citizens that we
have all endured for nearly ten years” and blamed “the failure of national
leadership”.He said that the overwhelming majority of ruling party
supporters had been hoping that a special congress of the party in December
would have brought change in the party's leadership. In the event, it failed
after Mr Mugabe manipulated the meeting to ensure that he was the only
candidate.

Soon after Mr Makoni's announcement, Arthur Mutambara, leader
of one of the two factions of the MDC, said that he would support him,
adding significant impetus to his challenge. Attempts to unite the MDC
before the elections failed at the weekend.

The challenge is expected
to heighten the appetite for change among a people crushed by the
disintegration of the Zimbabwean economy, infrastructure and
society.

The repeated failure of the MDC, brutalised and cheated by
Mr Mugabe in each of the three elections since 2000, and now with a fatal
split that will divide its vote in presidential, parliamentary and local
government elections on March 29, appear to have taken away much of the
impetus.

“It's a dramatic announcement,” Eldred Masunungure, a University
of Zimbabwe political scientist, said. “This will throw the elections wide
open. Zanu (PF) has been taken by surprise. The thirst for change is there
but Makoni had better be prepared for Zanu (PF)'s viciousness. This is not
going to be a tea party.”

Mr Makoni, 57, has the power to spoil Mr
Mugabe's determination to hold on for another five years — making him 89
when his term ends — by appealing to the frustration of a deeply
disenchanted party membership.

Doubt cast over Zimbabwe presidential hopeful

There are divided views in Zimbabwe as to whether
presidential hopeful Simba Makoni can pose a real challenge to President
Robert Mugabe.

Makoni, a former Finance Minister, announced today he
would stand against Mugabe as an independent in next month's presidential
election.

Takavafira Zhou, an analyst at Zimbabwe's Masvingo State
University, says Makoni will present a stiff challenge, especially if he can
attract other disillusioned members of the establishment. But another
Zimbabwean political analyst, Takura Zhangazha, disagrees.

Zhangazha
says if anything, Makoni will simply divide the opposition votes because he
does not foresee ZANU-PF supporters abandoning Mugabe in favour of
him.

Political analysts say Makoni faces a mammoth task in standing
against Mugabe. Makoni says he has consulted extensively with ZANU-PF
members countrywide and has their overwhelming support.

Analyst
George Katito, who is affiliated to the South African Institute of
International Affairs, says Makoni's bid should not be seen as a direct
rebellion against Mugabe.

Why Tsvangirai and Mutambara must make way for
Makoni

New Zimbabwe

By Innocent Chofamba SitholeLast updated: 02/06/2008
02:14:29FOLLOWING Simba Makoni’s decision to run for President on March 29,
the time may be ripe for opposition faction leader Morgan Tsvangirai and
Arthur Mutambara to pack in and run for parliament instead.

Mutambara
acknowledges his limits in the presidential race at the present moment and
regards himself really as a future president. This is why, in my opinion, he
has been ready at various times in the unity discussions between the two MDC
factions to play second fiddle to Morgan.

He recognises the work put in
by Tsvangirai, both in the formation of a viable opposition party and in
consolidating and sustaining opposition politics in the country, thereby
giving Zimbabwe - as did PF-Zapu before - the institutional building blocks
for a more democratic politics, or the two party politics as it is
known.

However, there is widespread recognition that through his foibles
and strategic indiscretions over the years, Tsvangirai has lost the aura and
novelty with which he entered the political arena in 2000.

The
long-drawn out economic crisis and its attendant hardships have fostered
popular disillusionment with politics and the political leadership both
within and outside the state. In other words, when people fail to see either
side as their liberator, they get p****d off with the political class
altogether.

It is fair to say Tsvangirai still retains the respect
and influence that he has garnered over the last ten years and that it will
be a boon to Makoni if he could back him by getting out of the
way.

But I will put my money on Mutambara, not only getting out of
Makoni's way but actually assisting him on the understanding that a
government of national unity could be in the offing. Remember that there is
an imminent reconstruction of the state post-election through the adoption
of a new constitution at whose core is the introduction of a Prime Minister
with significant executive powers.

It has been suggested that Simba
Makoni will only be a spoiler. If anyone should fit that role, it's
Mutambara, since he clearly has no chance of winning against either
Tsvangirai or Mugabe.

It is without doubt that Makoni is held in higher
esteem than either Tsvangirai or Mutambara. Whatever the objective merits,
at closer scrutiny, he is regarded as more experienced in statecraft. He
does have the so-called gravitas that Mutambara claims to have over
Tsvangirai.

And the key dynamic in all this is that his candidacy brings
with it the aura and excitement that Tsvangirai once invoked in the 2000 and
2002 elections. There is the excitement of something new and yet so
long-expected in Makoni.

One key factor to consider is that unlike
Zanu PF, the MDC's electoral success has depended consistently on a large
pool of floating voters. The MDC has for a long time been sustained by an
anti-Zanu PF sentiment, which is not the same thing as a pro-MDC
sentiment.

Zanu PF, on the contrary, has a more solid support base; they
have a bigger constituency of core supporters. You only have to check the
consistency of its voters in urban centres; they almost always score the
same numbers. In sharp contrast, there's a consistent decline for the MDC
with each new election. In other words, the people on the outer concentric
circle of the MDC are like loose electrons - they can move on to more
attractive options.

My view is that Tsvangirai, particularly, should make
way for Makoni. The two can work together in a government of national unity.
I also think Makoni's arrival can potentially preserve Tsvangirai’s
political career. There's now no need for Tsvangirai to sacrifice himself in
an election he is bound to lose anyway, not least because it will definitely
not be free and fair.

Defeat here will most certainly consign him to
history and render his presidential ambitions illegitimate if he should
stand in the way of new leadership within the MDC
thereafter.

Everyone deserves a second shot at the top post and
Tsvangirai can save his for later. In the interim, he can get into
parliament and exercise leadership in a role that Zimbabweans have never
seen him before. He can hone his leadership skills there and perhaps, having
served in a government of national unity, will have garnered renewed
political clout to make a go at it one more time - hopefully in more
favourable conditions.

Tsvangirai can play kingmaker here. So, there are
opportunities for everyone in this, I just hope they all don't go for
broke.

Mbudzi warns CIO against making Makoni
target

By Torby ChimhashuLast updated: 02/06/2008
00:50:10A FORMER senior army officer running Simba Makoni’s presidential bid
has warned Zimbabwe's intelligence services against “overzealous reaction”
to the former finance minister's dramatic pitch for political
office.

Retired Major Kudzai Mbudzi told journalists in Harare on Tuesday
that he expected retribution from President Robert Mugabe’s notorious spy
agency which has gained world infamy for using unorthodox tactics against
his opponents.

Mjr Mbudzi said: “We expect overzealous reaction from
the intelligence. They must be warned that we were also part of the
intelligence and we won’t tolerate that. We warn them that they would be
dealt with accordingly in their individual capacity.

“This is a
rescue operation (having Makoni challenging Mugabe). Zimbabwe is at the
boil. Simba has offered his services to the people of Zimbabwe and would
want to turn around the situation which has degenerated into a sense of
decay,” Mbudzi said moments after Makoni had officially announced his
decision to fight Mugabe in the March 29 elections.

The former
finance minister who two days earlier had been barred from contesting in the
Zanu PF primary elections in Makoni Central, Manicaland Province, said he
would challenge Mugabe as an independent.

Mbudzi said they would not
launch a party and were comfortable with the name Zanu PF since “the
constitution is fortunately silent on the use of symbols and
names".

The former military man said Makoni consulted widely and had the
backing of 90% of key people in the party. Makoni is thought to be close to
Vice President Joice Mujuru and former home affairs minister, Dumiso
Dabengwa.

“We are confident of winning the election. Simba will not field
candidates except himself. This is our new concept of participating in
elections. He will form a government of national unity and heal the
country,” Mjr Mbudzi said.

Analysts said the decision by Makoni to
fight Mugabe was tantamount to a palace coup on the soon-to-be 84 veteran
leader.

“There is nothing wrong with what Simba has done. This is free
country and he is free to challenge Mugabe. What this shows is that Zanu PF
is now split,” said John Makumbe, a political analyst.

Makoni
appeared to have sold Mugabe a decoy when he met the former guerrilla leader
and assured him of his backing two weeks ago.

Mugabe in turn gave the nod
to him to submit his CV for the Makoni Central primary elections where he
was pitted against Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

But there was
a always a chance of a sting in the tail as the Zanu PF leadership
disqualified Makoni at the last minute, arguing he had submitted his papers
late, prompting the dramatic announcement Tuesday.

“There is no way
Makoni will be used by the intelligence to split votes. This is not time for
playing games. This is a serious operation aimed at reclaiming Zimbabwe.
Forget about this belief that this is an intelligence project,” Mbudzi
said.

Zanu-PF Polls Produce Shocks

THERE are shocks in the Zanu-PF primary
elections results which began trickling in yesterday with indications that
some ministers, party heavyweights and sitting MPs lost to
newcomers.

Party national commissar Cde Elliot Manyika confirmed that
minnows upstaged some heavyweights, promising to release the full results
today.

"There are indications that there will be shocks in some
areas. Some provinces are through with the primary elections while others
are still to complete the exercise," said Cde Manyika.

"We will be
announcing election results starting from tomorrow. We will be making them
public because we have nothing to hide. We want it to be clear to everyone
that democracy thrives in our party."

Preliminary results showed Zanu-PF
heavyweights -- among them Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, sitting MPs
and senators -- lost in the primaries conducted at the weekend.

Some
party supporters, including traditional leaders, from different provinces
converged at the party headquarters in Harare yesterday to register their
displeasure over the selection of candidates in some
constituencies.

Traditional leaders from Hurungwe in Mashonaland West
Province were among those at the headquarters.

Businessman and farmer
Cde Temba Mliswa, Cde Luke Chirasasa and Cde Alexander Nyaria are eyeing the
Hurungwe West House of Assembly seat.

The supporters, who included Chief
Matawu, were unhappy with the inclusion of Cde Stella Boni in the
race.

Cde Boni was allegedly roped in as the provincial leadership argued
that it sought to meet its quota for women candidates.

Elections in
the constituency have since been stalled as the party supporters met
secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa.

Chairman of the
Zimbabwe Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees' Association Cde
Victor Kuretu beat his rival Cde Jabulani Thembani to win the ticket to
represent Zanu-PF in the Mufakose House of Assembly constituency.

Cde
Jabulani Thembani congratulated Cde Kuretu and pledged to work with the
winner in campaigns for the March 29 elections, saying he lost in a free and
fair manner.

"I am very excited. The process was very free and fair.
It was also very transparent. No one can complain. And I am more than ready
to face the opposition candidates," said Cde Kuretu.

Cde Ellen "Mai
Cresta" Samuriwo -- who runs a popular food outlet in Mbare -- won the Ward
34 primary and will represent Zanu-PF in the council elections after beating
Cde Mangota.

In Masvingo Province, Cde Anna Rungano lost to Cde Cecilia
Chabaya in the Bikita Senate primary.

In the Bikita South House of
Assembly constituency, musician and banker Cde Elias Musakwa beat sitting MP
Cde Claudious Makova while in Bikita East the incumbent Cde Kennedy Matimba
lost to former MP Cde Walter Mutsauri.

Cde Wilson Makonya was unopposed
in Bikita South.

Elsewhere, reports said in Mashonaland East three
ministers lost in the primaries.

Meanwhile, inspection of the voters'
roll has been delayed in some parts of Mashonaland Central because
inspection centres were inaccessible due to impassable roads and bridges
damaged by rains.

However, in Harare and other urban centres inspection
was progressing smoothly.

Roads and bridges in Muzarabani, Guruve and
Mt Darwin districts have been damaged by flash floods.

Mashonaland
Central provincial registrar Mr Augustine Tsuro said some officers failed to
get to their designated centres.

He, however, said the situation was now
under control after the Registrar-General's Office arranged for a helicopter
to airlift the officers to the inspection centres.

"Some villages
such as Mutasa area, Kapfunda and areas surrounding the Dande area in Mt
Darwin had been badly affected by the floods and we were forced to send a
helicopter to drop our officers at (inspection) points," he said

By
Sunday, Mr Tsuro said, the helicopter had dropped all the officers at their
respective centres.

He said the province was yet to receive feedback on
progress in such areas but in others inspection was going on without
hitches.

"We urge people to go to their respective wards and check their
names. This time the voters' roll is based on wards unlike in previous
elections where we had a constituency-based roll," he said.

Mr Tsuro
said the constituency-based roll allowed people to check their names from
any point in the constituency unlike the ward-based roll

Mugabe to postpone nomination to re-organise
party

Zim Online

by Farisai Gonye Wednesday 06 February
2008

HARARE – Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is expected to
postpone nomination of electoral candidates so he could first reorganise his
ruling ZANU PF party, shaken by rebellion and widening rifts within its
ranks.

Authoritative sources told ZimOnline last night that the
Nomination Court initially scheduled to sit on February 8 to receive names
of candidates for the local government, parliamentary and presidential
elections could now be shifted to the 15 of this month.

“The statutory instrument is set to be published today, or
at the very latest on Thursday,” said one of our sources, a top government
official who we cannot name for legal reasons.

ZimOnline was last
night unable to get immediate comment on the matter from Chinamasa or
Mugabe's spokesman, George Charamba.

ZANU PF politburo member, Makoni, on
Tuesday announced he would stand against Mugabe in next month’s election, in
the biggest rebellion against the Zimbabwean leader in
decades.

Hinting at more upheavals in ZANU PF, Makoni said he was working
with like-minded people from the party whose names he would disclose at a
more opportune time.

Makoni, who commands considerable respect among
the political divide, has for long been rumoured to be working with powerful
former army general Solomon Mujuru, the husband of Mugabe’s second deputy,
Joice Mujuru.

A former minister of finance, Makoni is also said to enjoy
the support several senior ZANU PF leaders who feel Mugabe should step down
and allow a new leader to take over.

Our sources said Mugabe wanted
to use the time between now and the sitting of the Nomination Court to
screen out Makoni’s suspected backers.

“He wants to vet who goes into
Parliament because Makoni's group could end up having an upper-hand in
Parliament even if it lost the presidential election,” added another
source.

“He wants to block attempts to influence ongoing party primary
elections to smuggle Makoni's people onto the list of ZANU PF parliamentary
candidates.”

The nomination date was already being challenged in court by
independent legislator Jonathan Moyo who wanted the exercise stopped
allegedly because Mugabe did not follow the law when he set the
date.

Moyo, who lodged a joint court appeal together with former
legislator Margaret Dongo, claims Mugabe violated the law when he set the
date of nomination before publication in the government gazette of the final
delimitation report showing names and boundaries of voting
constituencies.

Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe with an iron-like grip since
independence in 1980, brooking no challenge within his own party and from
without.

He appeared to effectively smother internal resistance to his
continued stay in power when he got ZANU PF to endorse him as candidate for
president last December – until Makoni’s open rebellion on
Tuesday.

Zimbabwe is in the grip of an acute economic recession critics
blame on mismanagement by Mugabe and seen in the world’s highest inflation
rate of more than 26 000 percent, 80 percent unemployment and shortages of
food, fuel and foreign currency.

Mugabe, who routinely organises
rallies and public marches by supporters to showcase his popularity, denies
ruining the country and has promised a landslide victory in March to once
again prove he has the backing of ordinary Zimbabweans. – ZimOnline

Former Mugabe ally wants nomination
stopped

Zim Online

by Patricia Mpofu Wednesday 06 February
2008

HARARE – A former top ally of President Robert
Mugabe has appealed to the High Court to stop nomination of candidates for
next month’s elections, allegedly because the veteran leader did not follow
the law when he set the February 8 nomination date.

Jonathan
Moyo, a former government information minister who masterminded Mugabe’s
controversial re-election in 2002, says in papers filed with the court that
the President violated the law when he set the date of nomination before
publication in the government gazette of the final delimitation report
showing names and boundaries of voting constituencies.

Moyo, who is
now independent Member for Parliament for Thsolotsho constituency, lodged
his application jointly with Margaret Dongo, a former independent
legislator.

Zimbabwe holds local government, parliamentary and
presidential elections on March 29.

Moyo and Dongo insist that
failure to abide by the basic rules of the election process could “have far
reaching implications on the credibility of the forthcoming
elections.”

The urgent application by Moyo and Dongo had not been
set down for hearing by yesterday.

Zimbabwe is in the grip of
an acute economic recession critics blame on mismanagement by Mugabe and
seen in the world’s highest inflation rate of more than 26 000 percent, 80
percent unemployment and shortages of food, fuel and foreign
currency.

Analysts say free and fair polls next month are vital to
any plan to revive Zimbabwe’s comatose economy.

Meanwhile, the
Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) has called for the inspection of
the voters’ roll to be extended by three weeks arguing that the allocated
time for the inspection was too little.

In a statement to the
media, the election watchdog said the time allocated for the inspection of
the voters’ roll was “far too short considering that there are new
constituencies and wards countrywide.”

“ZESN believes that this
time is inadequate and proposes that it be extended to at least three
weeks,” said the group. – ZimOnline

Mutambara MDC Deny Being Unreasonable in Unity Talks

SW Radio
Africa (London)

4 February 2008Posted to the web 5 February
2008

Tererai Karimakwenda

The MDC faction headed by Professor
Arthur Mutambara has dismissed allegations by the Tsvangirai MDC that unity
talks over the weekend, which were aimed at creating a united front against
Robert Mugabe in the March elections, collapsed due to unreasonable demands
on their part.

On Monday we reported that the talks had collapsed and the
MDC leaders will contest as separate presidential candidates. Each party
will also field their own candidates for parliament. Both MDC formations
have admitted that the unity talks collapsed due specifically to differences
over the allocation of parliamentary seats, particularly in Matabeleland
province. But they differ however over which party had been unreasonable in
their demands.

Nelson Chamisa, spokesperson for the Tsvangirai
MDC, said their National Council had rejected proposals to share
parliamentary seats equally with the Mutambara MDC. He said they had wanted
50% of all seats, including in constituencies where they had no structures.
Chamisa said demands by the Mutambara formation had been viewed as "arrogant
and unreasonable".

On Tuesday we spoke to Gabriel Chaibva, spokesperson
for the Mutambara MDC, and he denied the allegations that they had been
unreasonable. He said the two groups had adopted a "unification document"
which established two broad principles.

The first was that there
ought to be one candidate for every position, from president, senator, house
of assembly and local government. Secondly, that both formations would be
guaranteed at least 30% of all the contested seats in the respective
provinces.

But according to Chaibva, when it came to discussing new seats
the Tsvangirai MDC wanted all 18 new seats created by the delimitation of
constituencies in Harare, except for 1 which would go to Mutambara. He said
that in Matabeleland the Tsvangirai MDC demanded all the seats, including
areas where the Mutambara MDC had sitting members of
parliament.

Chaibva said the Tsvangirai MDC wanted seats for all their
"relatives, colleagues and bootlickers". He added: "I would want to leave it
to the people of Zimbabwe to decide on who is unreasonable in this
context."

With the lack of transparency and open discussion with the
media it is impossible to know which MDC faction is presenting the true
facts.

What is known is that Mugabe and Zanu PF have always had great
skill in ensuring there has been no effective opposition to their
misrule.

Student leaders suspended for leading
demos

Zim Online

by Lizwe Sebatha Wednesday 06 February
2008

BULAWAYO – Authorities at the state-run Bulawayo
Polytechnic College have suspended five student leaders for spearheading
demonstrations against an increase in tuition fees as well as falling
standards at the college.

The five Zimbabwe National Students Union
(ZINASU) leaders – Melusi Hlambano, Tinashe Mhlanga, Bothwell Gwature, Brian
Sibanda, Tinashe Chechera – were served with their suspension letters on
Monday.

According to the suspension letters, the ZINASU leaders were
guilty of “inciting other students at the institution to revolt against the
administration” in protest over high fees and falling
standards.

Students at the Polytechnic last month staged rowdy
demonstrations demanding a halt to a massive exodus of staff, lack of
reading materials and increased tuition fees.

ZINASU President Clever
Bere yesterday condemned the suspension of the students adding that the move
was illegal as they were never called to a disciplinary hearing as required
under the law.

“We are appealing against the suspension of the five as it
was unprocedural since they were not even called to a hearing on the matter.
The institution wants to suspend more students for participating in the
protests,” said Bere.

Themba Ndlovu, the principal of Bulawayo
Polytechnic College, refused to comment on the matter
yesterday.

Protests by university and college students over high tuition
fees and falling academic standards are common in
Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s education sector, once a shining beacon on the
African continent, has virtually collapsed due to a severe economic
recession that has driven away the best teachers and
lecturers.

Thousands of experienced teachers and lecturers have left the
country to search for better paying jobs across Zimbabwe’s borders, the
majority of them in South Africa and Botswana. - ZimOnline

Mbeki lauded for Zim efforts

News24

05/02/2008 16:29 -
(SA)

Cape Town - The Southern African Development Community on
Tuesday lauded President Thabo Mbeki's mediation efforts between Zimbabwe's
ruling Zanu-PF and opposition MDC, despite MDC insistence it has
failed.

Mbeki briefed the SADC summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last
Thursday and Friday on the status of negotiations between President Robert
Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC).

According to the SADC Secretariat on Tuesday, the two parties had
reached agreement on all substantive matters relating to the political
situation in Zimbabwe, which the ruling party and the opposition had placed
on their negotiations agenda.

This included the Constitution,
electoral laws, security legislation, communication legislation, and matters
relating to the political climate in Zimbabwe, such as the land question,
sanctions, politically motivated violence, and external interference in
Zimbabwe.

Big changes

The most urgent of these, including
constitutional and statutory changes, had already been put into effect
through constitutional and legal amendments approved by the Zimbabwe's
parliament, to which Mugabe had assented.

The only outstanding matter
related to the procedure to be followed is enacting the agreed draft
Constitution, the statement said.

"The summit welcomed the good progress
made by the Zimbabwe negotiating parties and congratulated them for
successfully concluding their negotiations.

"The summit thanked the
SADC facilitator President Mbeki and his facilitation team, for the role
they had played in helping to achieve this outcome and asked President Mbeki
to continue in his role as facilitator, to help the Zimbabwe parties to
conclude the outstanding 'procedural' matter of the enactment of the agreed
draft Constitution," they said.

Senior MDC member and economic affairs
spokesperson Eddie Cross conceded that after nine months of negotiation
under the auspices of SADC, huge progress had been made.

"A
comprehensive package of reforms - some of which have been implemented, was
negotiated, giving us the chance of a free and fair electoral process if
implemented," he said.

"[However] Mugabe, who all along had been
negotiating under duress, was eventually faced with the decision - allow
these reforms and face defeat or just tell his South African and SADC
colleagues that they were asking too much - he decided on the
latter."

Last option

Cross said Mbeki was forced to use his last
option - to confront Mugabe's refusal to implement the deal negotiated at a
meeting of SADC Heads of State.

"He did so last week at Addis on the
sidelines of the AU summit and we understand he pulled no
punches.

"However in the end Mugabe was backed by three other heads of
state -Swaziland, Namibia and Angola - and Mbeki came away with no
decision.

"So when the MDC leadership gathered in Harare this weekend to
consider the question of fighting the next election, now just two months
away, it was against the background of a failed mediation effort by
President Mbeki," Cross said.

In addition to this setback, the MDC
faced the reality that despite the reforms already adopted and passed
through Parliament with its assistance, the regime in Harare was maintaining
its policies against the MDC.

Marches and rallies were being banned,
there was no sign of any reform in the media and the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission was totally under the control and direction of the Zanu-PF led
regime, and was being staffed with many of the old electoral management from
the security services, he said.

'Zim political issues solved'

Negotiations to address Zimbabwe's political crisis were no longer
needed as it was only procedural issues that remained outstanding, SA's
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said on Tuesday.

The
parties have agreed to all "substantive matters" and it was an issue of
procedure that remained outstanding, Pahad said during a regular media
briefing at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

"There are no longer any
negotiations needed; it's now procedural, they have agreed to everything ...
its now really procedure that the Zimbabweans themselves have to sort out,"
Pahad said.

He said President Thabo Mbeki would continue to mediate
between the parties to solve the outstanding procedural issues.

Pahad
was briefing reporters on a report Mbeki gave to Southern African
Development (SADC) leaders on the fringes of the African Union Summit in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last week.

Mbeki said that President Robert
Mugabe's Zanu-PF and factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) have completed negotiations on all substantive matters related
to the political situation in the country.

SADC on Tuesday lauded
Mbeki's mediation efforts.

According to a statement issued by the SADC
Secretariat, the two parties had reached agreement on all substantive
matters relating to the political situation in Zimbabwe, which the ruling
party and the opposition had placed on their negotiations
agenda.

"Summit congratulated and thanked the SADC facilitator President
Mbeki and his facilitation team, for the role they had played in helping to
achieve this outcome and asked President Mbeki to continue in his role as
facilitator on Zimbabwe, to help the Zimbabwe parties to conclude the
outstanding 'procedural' matter of the enactment of the agreed draft
Constitution," the statement said.

Air Zimbabwe warns of flights
disruptions

By Lebo NkatazoLast updated: 02/06/2008
00:01:31AIR Zimbabwe has warned of flight disruptions for the next three
weeks blamed on Zimbabwe's worsening economic crisis that is affecting
operations.

In a press statement, Air Zimbabwe group Chief Executive
Officer Peter Chikumba said the disruptions and flight cancellations started
on January 26.

“The flight changes and flight cancellations are
attributed to JET A fuel, equipment constrains and crew shortages. The
airline would like to reassure the traveling public that this is a temporary
setback and expects the schedule to normalise within the next six weeks,”
Chikumba said.

“All affected passengers will be notified of changes to
their itineraries through our sales offices or their travel
agents.”

Both domestic, regional and international flights will be
affected.

Air Zimbabwe has made proposals to the government, seeking to
be allowed to charge fares in foreign currency. The airline says 70 percent
of its outgoings are paid in foreign currency, and accepting fares in the
unstable local currency means the airline cannot meet its debts.

The
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications chaired by
Zanu PF legislator Leo Mugabe (Makonde) has supported the idea.

The
committee established that the national airline has been facing serious
viability problems caused mainly by inadequate resources, in particular the
mismatch between revenue and expenditure, it said in a report seen on
Tuesday.

The report added: “The airline has been charging fares for
regional and international routes in local currency, whilst other airlines
charge for the same in foreign currency."

New visa requirements for Zimbabwean passport
holders visiting S.A.

Bulawayo Morning Mirror

Steps:1. A person in South Africa has to invite
you.They have to go to home Affairs office and get a form to fill in with
their details andyours.This is then taken to a Police Station to be
certified as a true statement.The details on this form may include a copy of
their bank account to prove they cansupport your stay!!

2. You
then put that form along with a letter of invitation along with the
following to theSouth African Embassy in Harare (takes 1 week to 10 days
to process) Cost of postage toHarare return at the moment 15
million.a) Police clearance (This take 2 weeks and is a whole different
exercise on it's own.)b) 2 passport photographsc) Your ORIGINAL long
birth certificate. Or a certified copy by the Lawyers.d) R2000 travellers
cheques the real ones! Which will cost you R2000 and about $54million
(at today's costs)

ZESN calls for longer inspection of voters roll

4 February
2008

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) notes the
announcement made by the Registrar General’s office concerning the opening
of inspection of the voters’ roll from 1 to 7 February 2008. ZESN is
seriously concerned that the time allocated for the inspection of the
voters’ roll is far too short considering that there are new constituencies
and wards countrywide.

ZESN believes that this time is inadequate and
proposes that it be extended to at least three weeks. ZESN is also deeply
concerned that the inspection of the voters’ roll that started today was
only announced in the print media. Prior to commencing the exercise it has
not been adequately publicized. This might result in most prospective voters
not being able to participate in this crucial exercise. ZESN believes that
advertisements in the print media are not an appropriate and sufficient
medium of communication of this strategic component of the electoral
process. This is especially so when considering that a large number of
Zimbabweans live in remote areas where they have little, if any, access to
newspapers or are too poor to afford them. It is evident that not all
eligible voters will get the opportunity to inspect and register if the
exercise is to be ‘fast-tracked’, as projected in the announcement by the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

The SADC Principles and
Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections recognise the importance of full
participation of citizens in the political process. It is with this in mind
that ZESN calls on the ZEC to ensure that all eligible Zimbabweans are
registered as voters and are aware of their respective new wards and
constituencies.

ZESN believes that voter registration processes in
particular, inspection should not be a cosmetic exercise but should be a
meaningful and all-inclusive electoral process in order that it may amply
serve its purpose in the conduct of fair elections. In order for the country
to hold truly democratic, free and fair elections it is necessary for these
processes to be taken seriously and accorded ample time so as to ensure that
an up to date voters’ roll is compiled.

ZESN calls ZEC to
immediately launch a massive education campaign on the need to inspect the
voters’ roll and reiterates on the need to extend the inspection of the
voters’ roll.

ZESN, also still calls on all Zimbabweans to go out in
their numbers to inspect the voters’ roll and ensure that they know their
constituencies and ward so that they may be able to exercise their right to
vote in the 2008 harmonised elections. End//

Farm communities spread HIV in Zim - minister

Farm communities have not changed their
sexual behaviour and are contributing greatly to HIV and Aids prevalence in
Zimbabwe, the Herald newspaper reported on Tuesday.

This was
according to Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa who
said settlers in farming areas were scuttling government efforts to reduce
the HIV prevalence rate.

He was addressing a gathering at Mahume
Business Centre in Murehwa at belated provincial World Aids Day
commemorations at the weekend.

World Aids Day is commemorated
annually on December 1.

"Sexual behaviour of people on farms is
very worrying. Both men and women exchange partners within the same compound
regardless of the fact that the new partner's spouse would have succumbed to
Aids," Parirenyatwa said.

He urged
communities to delay engaging in sex to attain an Aids-free
generation.

In an interview with the Herald, Mebras Zengeya of
Mahume Primary School said throughout the year, women, especially widows,
and orphans of different ages sell fruits along the Harare-Nyamapanda Road
trying to make a living.

But they exposed themselves to HIV and
Aids by selling sex to haulage truck drivers who use the road, he told the
Herald. - Sapa

Health of Zimbabwean migrants at risk after raid at Johannesburg Methodist
Church

Although
basic health care is granted to all in South Africa, including undocumented
migrants, lack of information and fear of arrest and deportation hinders
Zimbabwean migrants' access to health care.

Johannesburg - Following the
raid at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg, the international
humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is extremely
concerned about the health conditions of Zimbabwean migrants living in South
Africa.

MSF believes that the raid and detention conditions experienced
by the Zimbabwean migrants will further jeopardize their mental and physical
health.

"The South African constitution guarantees access to health
care services to all those who live in the country. However, devastating
operations like the recent raid at the Methodist Church undermine Zimbabwean
migrants' access to health services," said Sharon Ekambaram, MSF's General
Director in South Africa.

The morning after the raid and detention of
approximately 300 migrants, after persistent negotiation, an MSF team had
access to the detainees taken to John Vorster Police Station and was able to
assess their health conditions.

"Some had suspected fractured ribs
and possible lung contusions after receiving blows," said MSF nurse Bianca
Tollboom. "Others were under HIV or tuberculosis treatment and didn't get
the amount of food required to take their medications. We left medicines for
some patients, but the police officers failed to give them the drugs,
although they had promised to do it."

Despite MSF's repeated requests
for patients in need of referral to be immediately taken to hospital,
patients remained incarcerated.

The team also identified signs of
deterioration of the mental health of detainees.

"The cells were
overcrowded, the detainees were scared and hungry. They were being shouted
at and verbally abused. They felt humiliated, were crying and some were in a
state of panic," said Tolboom.

"These actions increase the state of
stress and fear of this already vulnerable population and might prevent them
from seeking health care," explained Ekambaram.

Since December 2007,
MSF has been providing access to health care to migrants living at the
Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg and in the Musina area in Limpopo,
and facilitating their access to health structures. Although basic health
care is granted to all in South Africa, including undocumented migrants,
lack of information and fear of arrest and deportation hinders Zimbabwean
migrants' access to health care.

No news for mercenary's
wife

THE wife of British mercenary Simon
Mann said today that the African nation holding her husband had refused to
give any undertakings about how her husband would be treated.

A
tearful Amanda Mann was at the House of Lords where oil-rich Equatorial
Guinea is asking a panel of Law Lords to allow a damages action against the
alleged instigators of a failed coup attempt.

Her husband, alleged to
be the man who plotted the coup, is now believed to be in the notorious
Black Beach prison in Equatorial Guinea after the Zimbabwean authorities
secretly deported him at the weekend.

Mrs Mann, 41, attended the House of
Lords hearing where Equatorial Guinea is represented by its Attorney General
Jose Olo Obono in the hope of hearing news of the husband she has not seen
since he was arrested in Zimbabwe in March 2004.

She said: “I believe
that the government of Equatorial Guinea has conspired with elements of the
Mugabe regime to have my husband kidnapped with complete disregard for his
legal and human rights.

“I fail entirely to understand how such a
government, which has no regard for human rights or for the rule of law, can
have the audacity to seek the assistance of the British legal
system.

“And this morning the Law Lords were told that the Attorney
General of Equatorial Guinea, Mr Jose Olo Obono, had refused to give us
undertakings about how Simon would be treated.”

Mr Mann, the old
Etonian son of a former England cricket captain, is accused of planning a
failed coup against President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the dictator of
Equatorial Guinea.

The 55-year-old Briton served in the SAS before moving
to South Africa and was arrested at Harare airport when his plane touched
down with 67 mainly black former soldiers to pick up weapons.

They
were charged with illegally buying arms and he was sentenced to seven years,
reduced to four.

On Mann’s release last year, he was re-arrested on an
extradition warrant from Equatorial Guinea.

His lawyers claim that
his deportation was a “criminal conspiracy” on the part of the Zimbabwean
authorities.

Mann made frantic efforts to avoid extradition to the West
African state but in the end was extradited after his lawyers claimed the
Zimbabwean judicial system thwarted plans to file a further appeal to the
Supreme Court.

Mann insists that the group arrested at Harare airport,
all former South African soldiers, were heading for the Democratic Republic
of Congo where they would have guarded a mine.

Mugabe Now Taking Back Seized Farms

The Nation (Nairobi)

5
February 2008Posted to the web 5 February 2008

Kitsepile
NyathiNairobi

The Zimbabwe government has started repossessing
productive commercial farms that were parcelled out to new black farmers
during the country's disastrous land reform programme less than eight years
ago.

President Robert Mugabe's government has been forced to make the
major policy reversal to arrest declining agriculture output, which has seen
the southern African country falling from being an exporter of food to a net
importer.

Critics say most of the beneficiaries were government
officials and ruling Zanu PF supporters who had no knowledge of farming and
were only holding the land for speculative reasons.

Told state
media

Mr Didymus Mutasa, the Minister of Lands and Land Reform told the
state media that so far 1,449 subdivided commercial farms had been
repossessed.

"Government is repossessing all vacant and unutilized farms
and we are not going back on this exercise," Mr Mutasa said. "We will
withdraw the offers and allocate the farms to new deserving
applicants."

He said an audit of the farms that were seized from the
former white commercial farmers carried out last year indicated that most of
the beneficiaries were not productive.

Agriculture experts say
Zimbabwe's agriculture industry has declined by more than 70 per cent since
Mr Mugabe's government seized 4,000 white owned farms and distributed them
to landless blacks.

Malawi starts rationing maize as stocks fall

Reuters

Tue 5 Feb 2008,
14:49 GMT

By Mabvuto Banda

LILONGWE, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Malawi has
started rationing the sale of maize across the country following a report in
parliament that the country's maize stocks are dwindling, authorities said
on Tuesday.

The southern African nation harvested 3.1 million tonnes of
maize in the last planting season -- its biggest in 10 years. The government
exported 400,000 tonnes to hunger stricken Zimbabwe.

Dzoole Mwale,
chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, told Reuters in an
interview that the rationing came after an assessment found that most
government markets either had a shortage or were running out of the
staple.

Government buys and sells maize through the Agriculture
Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc)

"We found serious
maize shortages in Admarc markets in most parts of the country and this has
created serious problems especially in the urban areas where people rely on
buying maize from Admarc to feed their families," Mwale said.

"But we
are happy that government has moved in quickly and started rationing the
sales to make sure that everyone has a share," Mwale said.

Mwale said the
committee would meet on Friday to discuss among other things, whether the
maize shortage was linked to exports to neighbouring Zimbabwe.

People
said Admarc was only allowing people to buy not more than 25 kg of maize a
month.

"I have eight children and a 25 kg bag is not enough to feed my
family for the whole month," said Esnart Phiri, among scores of people
waiting for maize at Lilongwe's Area 25 Admarc market.

Admarc said
the rationing was temporal and the country had enough stocks to last a
year.

Most parts of Malawi usually start having maize shortages between
December and March of each year when most households have exhausted their
previous harvest and wait for the next.

U.N. agencies in the country
estimate that a million or more people may need food aid as floods continue
destroying crop fields in 14 districts. About 72,000 people have been left
homeless and six killed by flooding. (Editing by Phumza Macanda and Michael
Roddy)

ZCTF - another elephant shot in Charara

Following hard on the heels of the
tragic shooting of Tusker, another Charara elephant was shot on Saturday 2nd
February.

According to reports, a cook who was
employed at Wild Heritage went on a "beer drink" on Friday night and didn't come
home. His wife went to look for him on Saturday morning and found his dead body
on the side of the road. Although there were no signs of any injuries to the
body, the wife decided that he must have been killed by an elephant. No autopsy
was carried out to determine the cause of death and nobody witnessed the
"elephant attack".

National Parks arrived a little later
and shot an elephant who happened to be in the area at the time. Apparently,
about 30 shots were fired.